HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!
The day is finally here. I am hanging out at home giving out candy to the kiddo's and decided to squeeze a post in between the door bell. I am afraid I am going to run out of candy. I am not sure what I will do then. I would start giving my kids candy away but no one is home yet :).
I always opt to be the one who stays home. I don't know why in fact I don't know if I have ever taken the kids out? You know me I will always choose the warm house over the cold night. Actually we have great weather today. Not sure where it came from it snowed the beginning of the week and has been super cold but tonight is perfect trick or treating weather (just FYI it was also great weather for the football game today. Landon scored a great touchdown). I will never forget the year it snowed like crazy. Big huge flakes. Landon was a big furry dog that year and came home with a foot of snow on his head I swear. I am actually enjoying my time home alone. I have put away all the Halloween decorations, mopped the floor and moved the furniture around, (I seem to do that when the house is picked up, the family is away and I have decorating shows on. I start looking around the house thinking hum what can I change around).
We have partied big time this year. If we had to put our costumes on one more time I don't know if I could take it. It started last Saturday at Grandma Sue's Halloween party, then Sunday we had our own little party (pictures coming soon), Wednesday Trunk or Treat Ward party, Thursday kids school parade and parties plus I dressed up for Bonco that night, Friday Mike's work party and finally tonight. The crazy thing, everyone was something different for each party. Am I the only one who has kids that change costumes like they change clothes? Maybe I am too nice and I just let them but I have to say it gets old. Teegan was dead set on being a motocross rider. Of course I thought that was way to boring but finally gave in, then he changed to a football player, back to motor cross and threw in a vampire about 20 minutes before he went out tonight. Landon was a cheerleader, football player, cheerleader, caveman, football player. Whitney was a football player, caveman and ended up being a 80's workout girl with her friends. I guess as long as they are having fun.
Well, the kids should be coming in to dump out the candy and start shorting out all the good stuff.
Good news I have not run out of candy. Yet.
And I still say Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.

Last weekend we drove up the canyon to collect some fall leaves. It was a gorgeous day and we ended up staying awhile while we explored around. We could not have asked for better weather.



It was so pretty up there. I have never seen such big rocks in my life. The kids had a great time playing on them.



We found a great spot that had little streams that the kids put their feet in (yes it was freezing water but we let them anyway). We usually go up the canyon in the summer when the water is high and we have to stay away from it but this spot might be perfect in the summer. We can't wait to go back once it warms up. Mike says that when he was younger they came up to this spot to swim.




When we were leaving Mike said "it is crazy this place is only 15 minutes from our house and we never come up here"

It was a good day.

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came–

The Chestnuts, Oaks and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band.

– George Cooper

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go into Landon's class and "brag" about him. Of course it was not hard for me to come up with a long list of great things about him. It is always fun to take some time out to collect pictures and think about what makes them special.
I started by telling them that if I had to choose only a few words to describe him I would have to say throwing, kicking, shooting, catching or bouncing a ball. He is a sports nut! and he usually has a ball in his hands. Sports has been something that has always interested him. Although I would not say he is real aggressive I would say he is competitive. He likes to be good. The hard part is choosing what sport to play. Sports are so intense now that he can't seem to find the time to do it all (plus who can afford it:)? ) Just the other day he was saying that once football is over he would like to go back and play indoor soccer but it is also basketball season so he wants to do both. Then he asks can I take golf lessons????
His favorite food is Orange Chicken. His least favorite, spaghetti.
When he grows up he wants to be a professional sports player. (surprise)
His favorite colors are blue and white.
His favorite vacation is Disneyland. (I voted for the Disney cruise)
His favorite subject in school is math.
I told the kids about his birthday 2 years ago when all he asked for was a cake to be thrown in his face. So we had all the family over and right after they sang happy birthday Mike came around behind him with a small cake and smashed it right in his face. He was so surprised and so was everyone else in the room. No one knew what to do. But Landon is such a good sport he started laughing. It was as much fun as he thought it would be. So this year after we sang to him I had Whitney and Teegan go over next to him for a picture and Whitney reached up and pushed his face in the cake. I think it is our new tradition.

The crazy part was when the kids started asking me questions about him. One girl asked "I would like to know about his crushes. Could you tell us in the past years who he has had a crush on and who he currently has a crush on?" Whoa. This girls means business. I can't tell them that, the list is to long. No, I am kidding. I didn't think we needed to embarrass him that much. But that is all they seemed to want to do. The next question "when was the last time he was scared and came into your bedroom crying at night?" "What is his most embarrassing moment?" "What does he do when your fix spaghetti for dinner?" They were cute kids but they asked some tough questions.
We fixed a cute poster with lots of fun pictures. Indoor skydiving, motorcycle riding, baby pictures, family pictures, it turned out cute.
Landon is a great kid and I am so lucky to have him as my son.

Last Saturday night Sue had her annual Halloween party. She went all out we had Chili, bone bread sticks, mummy hot dogs, grave yard pudding and lots more. The house was decked out and we had a great time.

Am I the only person alive that likes Halloween??? All I hear is grumble,grumble I have to dress up grumble,grumble what will the kids be? If I hear one more person say "I hate Halloween" I might scream. Why is this holiday still around if everyone hates it??? As I just told Whitney the key to it is to not care what you look like and have fun with it. The crazier the better. The more you get into it the funner you will have. Let loose and have fun. It is the one day of the year that you get to go crazy, look silly and get all dressed up. Just give in and have fun.





Now there is someone who knows how to dress up. I guess after 15 years of living with me he figures he doesn't have a choice.

Last Saturday Landon made his first TOUCHDOWN!!!! Then he ran another one and another one. Yes 3 touchdowns in one game! Give that boy the ball. It was so much fun.
I can't say they were perfect, the first hand off he dropped the ball and it bounced back up into his hands and then he ran it in. The last touchdown was a punt return that went over his head, he went back picked it up and made a long run for a touchdown.
It was his game. He also made an interception and had about 8 great kickoffs.
I happened to get this great picture of him running in his second touchdown.

A few weeks ago I went to my niece and nephews birthday party and got a couch as a party favor. Then last Sunday I went back to that same sisters house for my dad's birthday party and came home with a bag full of clothes. Most with the tag still attached. What can I say I know where to party. :)
Yet again Trent and Lorilee have been kind enough to give us their hand me downs. I know, most people complain about hand me downs but I love them. I think half of my house is decorated with furniture they were giving away. Lets think... I have the dresser in our master and the armour(sp?) in Whitney's room, dresser in Teegan's bedroom and I can't forget our kitchen table. Yeah pretty much half my house. Isn't it usually the other way around the little sister gets all the big sister's stuff?
I love my new couch. In fact there are so many places we could have put it. I am thankful for a sister and brother in law who are so generous. It is not unusual at all for them to give nice things away. Just ask their cleaning lady :). In all seriousness I appreciate their generosity. They are a good example to me. For some reason when it comes time to part with things (especially furniture) I tend to hold onto it. I just move it on down to our "holding area" (that's what Lor calls my basement) but if we don't really need it why not pass it on to someone who does?

This past 6 months I have been reading The Work and the Glory series. I have learned so much from them about our church history and have formed a deep love for the saints and pioneers. What amazing men and women they were. I have to say I don't know if I could have done it. Oh who am I kidding there is no way I could have done it. When the mobs broke into my house with their pistols drawn would I have stood strong for my religion or gone weak and given in? What a great example these men and women were. There is much to be learned from them. This year the Sunday school lessons are on the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Saints. It has been great to read during the week and then go to church on Sunday and discuss what I had just read the last week. It has made the experience all the better.
One of the best parts about reading this series is the opportunity to learn more about our prophet Joseph Smith and his wife Emma. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet who restored the scriptures so I can read them today and for that I am very grateful. Through out the book I gained a love for Emma. She had to be such a strong lady. She shared her husband with the world. He was gone from her and the family so often. How it must have felt to have your husband in jail wondering if you will see him again. She lost child after child to death. Would I have kept the faith after loosing that many children?
This morning I attended a Relief Society breakfast were a young lady sang a beautiful song written about Emma. Here are the words:

EMMA
Never had an ordinary day
Never lived your life in an ordinary way
For everything you loved you paid a price
But you couldn't let the world see you cry.

Never had a moment of peace.
Never felt the sunlight when the worries set you free.
Every time your life turned a page it seemed like your heart might break.

With the world on your shoulder
When the nights had grown colder
You seemed to weather every storm with a queen's grace
When you lost your husband
When you buried your children
I'm sure the angles stood in reverence as you prayed
How much can one heart take?

Never had a day to call your own
When so many needed your warm heart as a home
Whispering a mother's lullaby, as you sat alone by the fire

And I'm sure your heart breaks, when some people still say,
somewhere down the line you lost your faith.
How much can one heart take?
How much can one heart take?

I thought this song was so well written. She was so much to so many people. Always taking in sick and the poor, caring for the needy. She was a true saint.

I have not posted much about the little guy but Teegan scored a touchdown at his game this Thursday. He is giving flag football a try this season and seems to like it. He runs around out there with a big grin on his face.